27 Fun Things To Do In Arizona With Toddlers, We Have The List!

Sridevi Tolety
Oct 04, 2022 By Sridevi Tolety
Originally Published on Dec 14, 2021
Edited by Sarah Nyamekye
Fact-checked by Sudeshna Nag
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Exciting things to do in Arizona with your kids include visiting Camp Verde.

A person is the most excited to learn and explore when they are toddlers or kids.

It is always good to take your toddler or kid out to show them new places and give them new experiences. While family outings help kids to learn new things and have fun, it is also a great way to bond with family members.

Perhaps your toddler might even show you just how much they love you by sharing a precious rock that they pick up on their trip with you!

The American state of Arizona, located in the country's southwestern part, is a dry and hot desert state. This state proudly houses the world-famous Grand Canyon. Arizona is also home to various fantastic wildlife and plant population. Residents and tourists alike have no difficulty finding places to visit and things to do in this beautiful state.

This state also has plenty of attractions that all children of all ages can visit and have fun at. We have made a list of such places to help you plan your next weekend trip or the next family holiday.

If you liked reading this article, also check out our other suggestions, beach fun facts and how do water slides work.

Scenic Rim Tour - Sedona

Arizona is an amazing state with attractions and fun activities for all types of people. It has terrific museums for history lovers, various theme parks for fun lovers, hiking trails for fitness enthusiasts, wildlife safaris, zoos and aquariums for animal lovers, botanical gardens for plant lovers, and many, many more attractions for people seeking adventures in all different ways.

Sedona is an Arizona town known for its beautiful red rock formations. These magical red rocks and the sharp canyon walls can be explored through an amazing Scenic Rim Tour on the infamous jeeps and also by hiking. These jeep tours take us through various scenic trails that capture the essence of Sedona.

The tour lasts nearly two hours on bumpy, uneven, and rugged terrains of Merry Go Round, Cow Pies, and various other trails. Most tour packages come with a local guide who would most likely share the local history and long-living legends of Sedona.

This tour, all though breathtaking, is not recommended for kids below the age of two because of its rugged and bumpy roads. If you have kids who fit the description, be sure to take them on this incredible adventure.

While Sedona is a beautiful representation of the red rocky landscape of Arizona, there is no denying the fact that the most mesmerizing formation of the state is the Grand canyon. The Grand Canyon is divided into south, north, east, and west rim tours, each part containing different canyons.

The tours around the Grand Canyon include an aerial view of the Grand Canyon on either small planes or helicopters, trekking, river rafting, horseback riding, skywalk, and motor van ride through the beautiful landscape. Though these fun things to do at the Grand Canyon sound exhilarating, most adventure activities are for children ages eight and above.

Make sure to plan your Grand Canyon visit with your child's age in mind.

The Pinnacle Peak park is a famous hiking destination in the city of Scottsdale, Arizona. The Pinnacle Peak is the granite summit in the center of the park, after which it has been named.

The park is also a wildlife sanctuary where you can come across native animals from as small as squirrels to the big mountain lions and bobcats.

Various bird species also call this park home. If you are an outdoor family, a hike in the pinnacle peak park would be a fun way to spend quality family time. Make sure to put hats on your heads, apply sunscreen and carry plenty of water for the hike to prevent heatstroke.

While these outdoor wilds are great for a bumpy ride, hiking, trekking through the scenery, and photographing the wild beauty, these are not the only things you can do with your kids here. Some of these wild beauties offer some great camping grounds under the stars.

Cave Springs campgrounds in Sedona are enveloped by the red rocks and the vegetation of Oak Creek Canyon, making it a cool, fairytale-like place to put up a tent and relax with your family.

It's near Slide Rock State Park, where kids can slide down a rock formation and into the creek, which is an added bonus.

While Cave springs is a popular camp spot, it's not the only one. Some other campgrounds for kids are the Jackpot Ranch, Pine Grove campground, and Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area.

Out Of Africa Wildlife Park - Camp Verde

Arizona is home to many exotic animals and fascinating desert plants. The state boasts a beautiful collection of flora and fauna along with its numerous scenic attractions. These plants and animals are present both in the wild and also in the many national parks, zoos, and botanical gardens of the state.

One of the best wildlife parks in Arizona is the Out of Africa Wildlife Park, located in the city of Camp Verde. This wildlife park offers a spectacular view of exotic animals like zebras and giraffes roaming free in the wild on its safari trip.

This adventurous place also hosts various live animal shows, like the tiger splash, where the great Bengal tigers and Siberian tigers play in the water with their caretakers and each other.

This amazing park provides an educational experience to kids of all ages with their close interactions with the animals of the wild. The most fascinating and popular animals of this wildlife park are zebras, giraffes, lions, tigers, bears, antelopes, and ostriches.

Other family fun places for animal-loving children in Arizona are the Phoenix Zoo, Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium, Sea Life Arizona, and the likes. The capital city of Arizona, Phoenix, is home to the super fun Phoenix Zoo which is home to various animal and bird exhibits.

Phoenix Zoo also has many sections dedicated to children, like the petting zoo, water play areas, playgrounds, and picnic spots. Some of the most favored attractions of the zoo are the monkey village and giraffe encounter.

The Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium near Phoenix is another exciting place for toddlers. It is home to many African and South American animals, and the aquarium houses a large number of aquatic animals, including penguins and sea lions. This zoo is also famous for baby animal exhibits where one can learn the growing stages of various animals.

Sea Life Arizona is a large interactive aquarium located in Tempe. This aquarium contains thousands of aquatic species on display and a mesmerizing 360-degree ocean tunnel. The Sea Life Arizona is also famous for its aquatic life conservations.

There is also a fascinating place for insect enthusiast kids called Butterfly Wonderland in the Arizona Boardwalk, a family-friendly complex in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Butterfly Wonderland provides an indoor rainforest experience with various insects and animals native to rainforests insight.

Children of all age groups would love a chance to explore a rainforest with colorful butterflies all around them. The OdySea Aquarium, a neighbor to the Butterfly Wonderland in the Arizona Boardwalk, is also a good place for some family fun.

Fun place for kids in the hot American state of Arizona is the Horseshoe Bend.

Other Fun Kid Friendly Places To Visit In Arizona

The exciting state of Arizona has an aptly exciting capital, Phoenix. The capital city has so many different places and attractions to keep your kids entertained on the weekends. The city also gains a lot of tourists of all ages all year round.

Papago Park in Phoenix is one of the most famous places in Phoenix. It is a vast desert park that stretches across the cities of Phoenix and Tempe. It contains the famous Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix Zoo, bicycle routes, hiking trails, small lakes, and picnic spots.

The Desert Botanical Garden is a huge and scenic place filled with cacti of all kinds, tall, short, flowering, and several other desert plants. When visiting this massive park, as well as the zoo and garden inside it, make sure to bring a lot of water, sunscreen lotions, and come prepared for a long day in the hot outdoors.

Another great thing about the capital is the high number of museums in the city. Children's Museum of Phoenix is filled with super fun and interactive play areas for kids of all ages, literally.

The Children's Museum of Phoenix focuses on teaching children to use their mind, muscle, and imagination through various exhibits and experiences.

There are programs and activities for children of all phases, infant, toddler, and kid.

A few of the most favorite areas of this museum are the noodle forest, pretend grocery store, art studio, and fort-building section. The Children's Museum of Phoenix is located in the historic Monroe School building in the heart of downtown Phoenix, and a visit to this wonderful place would never fail to bring a smile to your toddler's face.

Other museums in the capital to take your children to are the Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona Museum of Natural History, Musical Instrument Museum, Pueblo Grande Museum, Phoenix's Heard Museum.

The Art Museum houses art from around the world spanning over time, from contemporary art to fashion design that would definitely interest your art-loving kid. The Arizona Museum of Natural History showcases the cultural and natural history of the region and is famous for its vast dinosaur displays.

The Musical Instrument Museum is known for its vast instrument collection from around the world, artists' galleries, and the hands-on music experience. The Pueblo Grande Museum is a national historic landmark that takes your kids back in time to the ancient Huhugam civilization, architecture, and lifestyle.

The Heard Museum preserves native American art and houses a fun, interactive, and hands-on art space for kids.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson is no less remarkable than the museums in the capital. It showcases the Sonoran desert plants and animals through a botanical garden, a zoo, and an aquarium. The Arizona-Sonora desert museum also houses an art gallery and a natural history museum. This place is a perfect spot for a weekend family trip.

The Arizona Science Center is a neighbor to the Children's Museum in Phoenix and equally as exciting for your toddlers. It contains over 300 hands-on fun science exhibits and experiences, which will teach your kids science in a cool way.

The Arizona Science Center also hosts interesting shows in its planetarium and has tailored family programs to enjoy with the kids.

The city of Phoenix is also famous for its various new-age fun things for kids like theme parks, splash pads, miniature golf courses, and water parks. The Enchanted Island Amusement Park is a theme park located in the Encanto Park of Phoenix.

The theme park offers various rides for children of different age groups, a fun train ride through the park, and a few adventure sports. The Encanto Park has various other things like a lagoon, a boathouse, a nature trail, and some picnic areas and golf courses.

The best way to beat the heat of Arizona is to spend a joyful day with your whole family at a water park. The Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Phoenix, is one of the most favored water parks in the state, with giant water slides, water rides, and wide wave pools.

The Hurricane Harbor Phoenix has many kid-friendly mini rides, which your kid will surely love.

Another way to cool off in hot Arizona is to spend the day on the shores of the various rivers, lakes, and water bodies of the state. Many beaches along the lake Havasu, the centennial sandy beach in Yuma are some of the few places kids would love to visit.

Many of us would have gotten excited about the trains at least once in our childhoods. Kids tend to love this ride that goes choo-choo and runs along two parallel lines.

The McCormick Stillman Railroad Park is a stop your kids will surely enjoy. This park contains various attractions like the Paradise & Pacific Railroad, Charro Carousel, a few miniature railroad models, a railroad museum, and a couple of unique playgrounds.

Toddlers will love a ride on the mini railway and the merry-go-round. While this park is a fun tourist attraction, a ride on the real-life Grand Canyon Railway for a distance of 65 mi (104.61 km) from the town of Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park is another experience altogether.

Along with the scenic route, the train also offers entertainment in the form of cowboy characters and western musicians performing in the vintage rail cars.

The Goldfield Ghost Town is another one of Arizona's attractions that kids will enjoy. The ghost town contains the main street with many historic buildings where the gunfighters enact the old west gunfight. One can take a tour of its historic gold mine and also visit the Goldfield History Museum.

These are a few of the most popular suggestions to do in Arizona with your kids and toddlers that they will enjoy and learn from. The big smiles and tight hugs your kids will give you after this family outing will surely let you know how much your toddlers love you for bringing them to these places.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 27 fun things to do in Arizona with toddlers, we have the list!

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Written by Sridevi Tolety

Bachelor of Science specializing in Botany, Master of Science specializing in Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs

Sridevi Tolety picture

Sridevi ToletyBachelor of Science specializing in Botany, Master of Science specializing in Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs

With a Master's degree in clinical research from Manipal University and a PG Diploma in journalism from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Sridevi has cultivated her passion for writing across various domains. She has authored a wide range of articles, blogs, travelogues, creative content, and short stories that have been published in leading magazines, newspapers, and websites. Sridevi is fluent in four languages and enjoys spending her spare time with loved ones. Her hobbies include reading, traveling, cooking, painting, and listening to music.

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Fact-checked by Sudeshna Nag

Master of Arts specializing in History

Sudeshna Nag picture

Sudeshna NagMaster of Arts specializing in History

Having earned a Master's degree in History from the Presidency University in Kolkata, Sudeshna was able to refine these skills and broaden her knowledge base. Not only is she an accomplished fact-checker, but she is also deeply invested in gender research, societal interactions, and mental health. Her professional repertoire also includes experience in translation between Bengali and English content

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